A rationale is the justification for your choice of topic in your project. A rationale is the starting place in any research project. At this point you should understand the requirements of this project, and have chosen the specific subject for your project. In short, what is your reason for choosing this topic? This is your space to describe, in general terms, the subject of your interview, and show how he or she represents the face of Israel in your eyes
The following checklist may help you organize your thoughts.
Your understanding of the goals of this project
Subject's name
His/her/its profession
His/her/its accomplishments
A discussion of what you hope to show about this person and organization in the course of your project
Your personal views on the responsibilities and values of the ideal Israeli
FAQS How long should the rationale be? It is hard to answer this, but I would expect it to be approximately 10-20 sentences, well-organized and divided into logical paragraphs. Can I change it as I work on the project? Yes. A project of this length evolves as you progress. You may discover that the interview reveals information you did not know, and will cause you to change your direction slightly.
Sample Research Question and Rationale
This question and rationale was written by a student who participated in a previous10th grade project. More can be found in the Neveh Chana Projects menu. Clearly, yours will be different, but this will give you the idea of what I am looking for. Research Question: "What Rulerships did Jerusalem pass through, and how did each one affect the Jews?"Rationale: We chose to research the impact that different empires and rulers have had onJerusalem so that we would better understand our strong connection to the city. It is crucial for us to be able to connect to our ancestors who were exiled fromJerusalem countless times, always yearning and longing to return to the holy city. When looking atJerusalem through history, it helps us put things into perspective and realize that we are not living in this incredible land by our own merit. Rather, we are living here in the merit of all of those who never gave up hope of returning to the city of their dreams. It was not us who settled or developed the land, and it was not us who fought on the battlefields to fight and protect her. Yet, it is our responsibility to contribute and devote ourselves to the land to the best of our ability.For thousands of years,Jerusalem was under foreign control. It was destroyed, desecrated, and even turned into a place of foreign worship. We wanted to understand all of whatJerusalem has been through, and how it is possible that we are able to travel there today without even thinking twice. Learning the history will strengthen our awe and feeling of responsibility to this land that has miraculously been given to us.Identifying with the land’s history can explain of why so many peoples fight overJerusalem. The number of countries that wantJerusalem in their control is not logical. After all, why would an empire as strong asRome care about an insignificant speck on the map? Why isJerusalem more important than anywhere else? All of these questions will help us comprehend and appreciateJerusalem and our responsibility to her.
Research Article
Choose an Israeli organization that provides support of some kind to other countries. Describe the work they do, how it helps those countries, and if applicable, how it in turn helps Israel. Requirements LENGTH: Approximately 400 words SOURCES USED: At least two outside sources need to be quoted or referred to in this article. They may include original documents, interviews, internet or book research, newspaper articles, pamphlets printed by the organization. LINKS: Include links to at least two internet sites that your reader would find interesting. They should enrich your subject, or give information about a related subject. For example, "If you like Harry Potter, you will love this Hogwarts games site" GRAPHICS: At least 2 graphics that apply to your research FORMAT: MLA in-text citations with a NOTES page (instead of a bibliography) see www.owl.purdue for more information. BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION NEEDED: Title, author, copyright, page number, website and date accessed, location and date of interview. etc. as you have learned to footnote in the past.NOTE: As always, please pay careful attention to editing, paragraphs, introduction, body, conclusion etc
Profile
Step One: PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW Creating the environment for a quality interview is critical to the success of your project. We will break this process down into the following segments to make it work for everyone. Brainstorming for your interview Formulating interview questions Preparing for your interview Conducting your interview Follow-up Publishing Thinking about the interview: Before you write interview questions, you need to brainstorm for your interview.. The first step in creating an interview is to get an angle on the person you are about to interview. Probably, you already know what this angle is; otherwise, you would not have thought of interviewing this person in the first place! So, here we go! Just start making lists of everything that comes into your mind about this person. DONT check spelling, or debate if the idea is stupid, or prioritize ideas, or or or... JUST WRITE!!! the more the better!!! for example: Chani Pinani friendly so israeli went to the chermon for the first snow last year in charge of shalva organization makes amazing burekas I want her recipe!! --- (great idea for a page) grandparents made aliya from russia in the middle of the ddd war originally lived in Metula and experienced xyz during the zzz Want her to talk about her experiences growing up in metula. and and and get the idea??---- ----INTERVIEW Please review the online guidelines given. The links are provided below. Personal Inerviews as an Information Resource Interview Tip Sheet Interview Assessment Form You need to have at least 20 questions. It works well to organize the questions into categories, such as: Youth Schooling Public service Profession Family life Goals and Values Pay attention to your questions to make sure they will elicit information that may be useful to you in creating your I-face profile. If the questions are too generic or specific, you will not have much to go on when you sit to write the profile. What do I mean? Non-juicy questions: How old are you? Where were you born? Where did you grow up? You have just taken 3 questions to ask basic info that the person could write on a card for you, or that you could get out of the way before interview. Juicy questions: I understand you were born in Japan. What was it like growing up as a Jew in Japan? What led to your decision to move to Israel? Get the idea?
Step Two: THE INTERVIEW When your interview questions are ready, contact your subject, and set up an interview date. Allow at least an hour for the interview. Bring with you:
Three pens or pencils, paper and a clipboard to write on
A recording device fully charged – and a backup device in case one does not work.
A friend if you need someone to work the recorder for you.
Step Three: WRITING THE PROFILE Now you need to turn your interview into a personal profile of your subject. A profile is an article that describes a person based on a number of parameters. For this project, our parameters involve facts that show them to be typically Israeli. Certain historical information that shows how they became the fine citizens that they are is appropriate to include. Facts and philosophy that show who they are today will make up the bulk of this profile.REQUIREMENTS
Completed interview of Israeli
Rough Draft
Final Draft
Length: about 500 words
3 photos of subject and his/her environs
SOURCES:
Interview with subject
Interview with acquaintances of the subject
Articles, books, about the person
*BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION: Date and location of the interviews FAQCan I use internet graphics on my page without violating copyright laws?Images on webpages are protected by copyright law. You can legally use images when the owner has granted permission to use. The following link will take you to sites which allow you to use their images if you give them credit and display a link to the source.http://copyrightfriendly.wikispaces.com/
Personal Connection
This section of your project provides you with an opportunity to express your thoughts about what you have learned about the face of Israel in a creative manner. At this point, you have finished researching and writing about your subject. You may choose to make some connections between one of your subjects and a piece of literature or a creative project that reflects your thoughts about Israel, being Israeli, or even just being a good citizen in this world.
LITERARY IDEAS This may be a short story, an excerpt from a novel, a published essay, a poem or a song. It does not have to deal directly with Israel. It could simply illustrate a value, or lifestyle that you consider important to you as an Israeli.Once you have chosen the piece, please follow the steps listed below to write a 250 word (approx) essay 1. Summarize the piece.2. Explain in your own words what you feel the author's main point is.3. Explain why you chose to include this piece of literature in your i-faces project. You may want to discuss some of the following points:
What does this piece show about Israel's culture?
What does this piece show about the fun or beauty of being Israeli?
How does this compare to the image you would like to portray of Israel?
What is the best element of this piece?
What could be improved or added to this piece to make it better?
4. Check for introduction, body, conclusion, mechanics, paragraphs 5. Add the appropriate bibliographic information to your bibliography. If the work is translated, be sure to write the info for the original and for the translation.
CREATIVE IDEASSee the list below for some suggestions of how you may do this. I hope many of you will have different ideas to add to the project. Each product must have a 100 word explanation of the product, and how it connects to the theme of our project.Just get my OK before you proceed. In order to do this, please provide me with a 100 word description of what you plan to do, and how you hope it connects to the theme of our project. This can be sent to my private email, or given to me in class.Examples:A painting or drawing A video A short play, acted out on video and/or in front of the class A mosaic scene A theme photo collage A theme scrap book, including photos, quotes, bits of literature etc. A new Israeli banner/flag of your design An original short story or poem An animoto clip of at least 30 photos
Reflection
A PROCESS OF LOOKING BACK AND CONTEMPLATING OUR ACTIONS AND EXPERIENCES. WE GREET THE FUTURE WITH GREATER WISDOM BASED ON WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED FROM OUR PAST.As we approach the conclusion of our I-Faces Project, it is time to reflect on our experiences. What have we learned? How have we grown? Below is a compilation of ideas we came up with in class, Feel free to answer all or some of the questions. Certainly, add more ideas that you have. Remember: This is a Wiki. It is for all of us to use together. Due Date: Rough Draft Final Draft Submitted with Final Project Expected Length: No shorter than 200 words.
What were your expectations for this project?
How were your expectations met? Well? not? Or anything in between. Give specific examples.
How would you change the project for next time?
Were there any surprises for you as you worked on the project?
What did you learn about yourself, and your own relationship with the land we live in?
Consider the following categories for the above questions:
learning about my subject
improving my writing skills
improving my research skills
thinking about being an Israeli
working on an on-line project
getting to know our partners atFrisch High School
Notes
Include a notes page with all research sources, interviews, links etc listed in alphabetical order according to the guidelines discussed in class.Follow this link to a page that shows you how to create in-text citations and notes http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/
All Rough Drafts edited by your teacher must be included in your appendix. This will be part of your final grade.
Presentation Checklist
The project must be submitted in a clear-faced presentation folder. (tikia shkufa) Cover Page
class project title
your project title
graphic element
student name
teacher name
school name
date submitted
Table of Contents
includes all segments of project
includes page numbers
Rationale
final draft
Research Article
final draft
photocopies of research
sources footnoted appropriately
at least one link
at least one graphic element
Profile
final draft
photo of subject
other graphic element
appropriate footnotes
Personal Connection
final draft
copy of literature used
Translation of literature as appropriate
include all bibliographic info
if creative, include a 100 word explanation of your project
Table of Contents
Rationale
A rationale is the justification for your choice of topic in your project. A rationale is the starting place in any research project. At this point you should understand the requirements of this project, and have chosen the specific subject for your project. In short, what is your reason for choosing this topic? This is your space to describe, in general terms, the subject of your interview, and show how he or she represents the face of Israel in your eyes
The following checklist may help you organize your thoughts.
- Your understanding of the goals of this project
- Subject's name
- His/her/its profession
- His/her/its accomplishments
- A discussion of what you hope to show about this person and organization in the course of your project
- Your personal views on the responsibilities and values of the ideal Israeli
FAQS How long should the rationale be? It is hard to answer this, but I would expect it to be approximately 10-20 sentences, well-organized and divided into logical paragraphs.Can I change it as I work on the project? Yes. A project of this length evolves as you progress. You may discover that the interview reveals information you did not know, and will cause you to change your direction slightly.
Sample Research Question and Rationale
This question and rationale was written by a student who participated in a previous10th grade project. More can be found in the Neveh Chana Projects menu. Clearly, yours will be different, but this will give you the idea of what I am looking for.
Research Question: "What Rulerships did Jerusalem pass through, and how did each one affect the Jews?"Rationale: We chose to research the impact that different empires and rulers have had onJerusalem so that we would better understand our strong connection to the city. It is crucial for us to be able to connect to our ancestors who were exiled fromJerusalem countless times, always yearning and longing to return to the holy city. When looking atJerusalem through history, it helps us put things into perspective and realize that we are not living in this incredible land by our own merit. Rather, we are living here in the merit of all of those who never gave up hope of returning to the city of their dreams. It was not us who settled or developed the land, and it was not us who fought on the battlefields to fight and protect her. Yet, it is our responsibility to contribute and devote ourselves to the land to the best of our ability.For thousands of years,Jerusalem was under foreign control. It was destroyed, desecrated, and even turned into a place of foreign worship. We wanted to understand all of whatJerusalem has been through, and how it is possible that we are able to travel there today without even thinking twice. Learning the history will strengthen our awe and feeling of responsibility to this land that has miraculously been given to us.Identifying with the land’s history can explain of why so many peoples fight overJerusalem. The number of countries that wantJerusalem in their control is not logical. After all, why would an empire as strong asRome care about an insignificant speck on the map? Why isJerusalem more important than anywhere else? All of these questions will help us comprehend and appreciateJerusalem and our responsibility to her.
Research Article
Choose an Israeli organization that provides support of some kind to other countries. Describe the work they do, how it helps those countries, and if applicable, how it in turn helps Israel.Requirements LENGTH: Approximately 400 words SOURCES USED: At least two outside sources need to be quoted or referred to in this article. They may include original documents, interviews, internet or book research, newspaper articles, pamphlets printed by the organization. LINKS: Include links to at least two internet sites that your reader would find interesting. They should enrich your subject, or give information about a related subject. For example, "If you like Harry Potter, you will love this Hogwarts games site" GRAPHICS: At least 2 graphics that apply to your research FORMAT: MLA in-text citations with a NOTES page (instead of a bibliography) see www.owl.purdue for more information.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION NEEDED: Title, author, copyright, page number, website and date accessed, location and date of interview. etc. as you have learned to footnote in the past.NOTE: As always, please pay careful attention to editing, paragraphs, introduction, body, conclusion etc
Profile
Step One: PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEWCreating the environment for a quality interview is critical to the success of your project. We will break this process down into the following segments to make it work for everyone. Brainstorming for your interview Formulating interview questions Preparing for your interview Conducting your interview Follow-up Publishing Thinking about the interview:
Before you write interview questions, you need to brainstorm for your interview.. The first step in creating an interview is to get an angle on the person you are about to interview. Probably, you already know what this angle is; otherwise, you would not have thought of interviewing this person in the first place! So, here we go! Just start making lists of everything that comes into your mind about this person. DONT check spelling, or debate if the idea is stupid, or prioritize ideas, or or or... JUST WRITE!!! the more the better!!! for example: Chani Pinani friendly so israeli went to the chermon for the first snow last year in charge of shalva organization makes amazing burekas I want her recipe!! --- (great idea for a page) grandparents made aliya from russia in the middle of the ddd war originally lived in Metula and experienced xyz during the zzz Want her to talk about her experiences growing up in metula. and and and get the idea??---- ----INTERVIEW Please review the online guidelines given. The links are provided below.
Personal Inerviews as an Information Resource
Interview Tip Sheet
Interview Assessment Form
You need to have at least 20 questions. It works well to organize the questions into categories, such as: Youth Schooling Public service Profession Family life Goals and Values Pay attention to your questions to make sure they will elicit information that may be useful to you in creating your I-face profile. If the questions are too generic or specific, you will not have much to go on when you sit to write the profile. What do I mean? Non-juicy questions: How old are you? Where were you born? Where did you grow up? You have just taken 3 questions to ask basic info that the person could write on a card for you, or that you could get out of the way before interview. Juicy questions: I understand you were born in Japan. What was it like growing up as a Jew in Japan? What led to your decision to move to Israel? Get the idea?
Step Two: THE INTERVIEW
When your interview questions are ready, contact your subject, and set up an interview date. Allow at least an hour for the interview.
Bring with you:
- Three pens or pencils, paper and a clipboard to write on
- A recording device fully charged – and a backup device in case one does not work.
- A friend if you need someone to work the recorder for you.
- A watch so you know how much time you have left
Visit the following sites for ideas how to conduct an inteview. http://courses2.cit.cornell.edu/fit117/CP_I.htmStep Three: WRITING THE PROFILE
Now you need to turn your interview into a personal profile of your subject. A profile is an article that describes a person based on a number of parameters. For this project, our parameters involve facts that show them to be typically Israeli. Certain historical information that shows how they became the fine citizens that they are is appropriate to include. Facts and philosophy that show who they are today will make up the bulk of this profile.REQUIREMENTS
- Completed interview of Israeli
- Rough Draft
- Final Draft
- Length: about 500 words
- 3 photos of subject and his/her environs
SOURCES:- Interview with subject
- Interview with acquaintances of the subject
- Articles, books, about the person
*BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION: Date and location of the interviewsFAQCan I use internet graphics on my page without violating copyright laws?Images on webpages are protected by copyright law. You can legally use images when the owner has granted permission to use. The following link will take you to sites which allow you to use their images if you give them credit and display a link to the source.http://copyrightfriendly.wikispaces.com/
Personal Connection
This section of your project provides you with an opportunity to express your thoughts about what you have learned about the face of Israel in a creative manner. At this point, you have finished researching and writing about your subject. You may choose to make some connections between one of your subjects and a piece of literature or a creative project that reflects your thoughts about Israel, being Israeli, or even just being a good citizen in this world.LITERARY IDEAS This may be a short story, an excerpt from a novel, a published essay, a poem or a song. It does not have to deal directly with Israel. It could simply illustrate a value, or lifestyle that you consider important to you as an Israeli.Once you have chosen the piece, please follow the steps listed below to write a 250 word (approx) essay 1. Summarize the piece.2. Explain in your own words what you feel the author's main point is.3. Explain why you chose to include this piece of literature in your i-faces project. You may want to discuss some of the following points:
- What does this piece show about Israel's culture?
- What does this piece show about the fun or beauty of being Israeli?
- How does this compare to the image you would like to portray of Israel?
- What is the best element of this piece?
- What could be improved or added to this piece to make it better?
4. Check for introduction, body, conclusion, mechanics, paragraphs 5. Add the appropriate bibliographic information to your bibliography. If the work is translated, be sure to write the info for the original and for the translation.CREATIVE IDEAS See the list below for some suggestions of how you may do this. I hope many of you will have different ideas to add to the project. Each product must have a 100 word explanation of the product, and how it connects to the theme of our project.Just get my OK before you proceed. In order to do this, please provide me with a 100 word description of what you plan to do, and how you hope it connects to the theme of our project. This can be sent to my private email, or given to me in class.Examples:A painting or drawing A video A short play, acted out on video and/or in front of the class A mosaic scene A theme photo collage A theme scrap book, including photos, quotes, bits of literature etc. A new Israeli banner/flag of your design An original short story or poem An animoto clip of at least 30 photos
Reflection
A PROCESS OF LOOKING BACK AND CONTEMPLATING OUR ACTIONS AND EXPERIENCES. WE GREET THE FUTURE WITH GREATER WISDOM BASED ON WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED FROM OUR PAST.As we approach the conclusion of our I-Faces Project, it is time to reflect on our experiences. What have we learned? How have we grown? Below is a compilation of ideas we came up with in class, Feel free to answer all or some of the questions. Certainly, add more ideas that you have. Remember: This is a Wiki. It is for all of us to use together.Due Date: Rough Draft
Final Draft Submitted with Final Project
Expected Length: No shorter than 200 words.
- What were your expectations for this project?
- How were your expectations met? Well? not? Or anything in between. Give specific examples.
- How would you change the project for next time?
- Were there any surprises for you as you worked on the project?
- What did you learn about yourself, and your own relationship with the land we live in?
Consider the following categories for the above questions:Notes
Include a notes page with all research sources, interviews, links etc listed in alphabetical order according to the guidelines discussed in class.Follow this link to a page that shows you how to create in-text citations and noteshttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/
All Rough Drafts edited by your teacher must be included in your appendix. This will be part of your final grade.
Presentation Checklist
The project must be submitted in a clear-faced presentation folder. (tikia shkufa)Cover Page
Table of Contents
- includes all segments of project
- includes page numbers
RationaleResearch Article
- final draft
- photocopies of research
- sources footnoted appropriately
- at least one link
- at least one graphic element
Profile- final draft
- photo of subject
- other graphic element
- appropriate footnotes
Personal Connection- final draft
- copy of literature used
- Translation of literature as appropriate
- include all bibliographic info
- if creative, include a 100 word explanation of your project
ReflectionBibliography- in alphabetical order
- includes all interview info
Appendix